VILLAMENA
784
VILLEGAIGNON
Gelehrlen-Lex. s. v.; Winer, ffandhuch dcr ihenlog. Lit- eriitur, i, •220 ; Fiirst, Bil/I. Jud. iii, 478 ; Hoefer, Nouv. Jiiofi. (leneralc. s. v. (B. 1'.)
Villamena Fkancesco, an Italian designer and ('i)i;raver, was born at Assisi about loOG. He went to liotne (luring the pontificate of 8ixtus V and studied liesigning from the antique and tlic works of the great masters. Ilis plates are executed entirely with the graver, in a ma-stiTly style. His prints are considered defective on account of the lights being too equally dis- tributed over the whole subject, but the defect receives a compensation in the correctness of the drawing and the admirable expression of the heads. Among his principal works are, Moses Shoirim/ the Bi'azen Serpent to the IsraeUles, after Ferran da Faenza: — The Virtjin mid Infant Christ, with iSt, Francis, after the same: — '/'he Holi/ Famil//, with St. John, St. Elizabeth, and St. A line, after Raphael (1002, IGll): — St. Bruno and his ( 'ittnpanions Doin;/ Penance in the Desert, after Lanfran- co: — the Takii}(j-down from the C/vass, after Baroccio: — the f'resentution in the Temple, after Paolo Veronese: — a set of twenty scriptural subjects from Kaphael's paint- ings in the Vatican. See Spooner, Bioc/. Hist, of the Fine A rts. s. v.
Villanova (Sp. Villanuera, Fr. Villeneuve), TuoJi- As OF, a Romish saint and author, was born at Fuen- llana, in the diocese of Leon, in 1487 (V), but his family belonged to Villanova. He inherited a charitable dis- position from his parents, and was trained t() such a de- gree of [lietj- that he received the title of " the Child of Mary." His education was obtained in the University of Alcala. After teaching philosophy at Alcala and Salamanca, he renounced the worki, and in 1617 entered the Order of Augustinian Eremites, devoting himself, after his consecration, wholly to preaching and the care of souls. His talent, zeal, and austerity s])eedily gave him rank among his fellows, and raised him to the posi- tion of superior over Salamanca, Burgos, and Valladoliil ; and beyond that to the office of provincial over Anda- lusia and Castile. He was credited with the possession of prophetic powers, and received the name of the "Apos- tle of Spain." The emperor Charles V chose him for his confessor, and offered him the archbishopric of Granada, and after 'rhcunas had declined that honor the emperor inducted him into the archbishopric of Valencia, in 1514. Villanova's attention was chiefly given to preaching and devotional exercises in this as in his former stations. He made a visitation of his diocese, held a synod in the interests of reform, made provision for schools and hos- pitals, and devoted most of his income to charitable uses. Unable, by reason of impaired health, to attend the Council of Trent, his prayer yet rescued the Span- ish bishops from a perilous situation during their voy- age thither, and it also refilled a barn w liich had been emptied of its stores to feed the poor. He died Nov. 8, 1555, and was buried in the Augustine church at Va- lencia. At the time of his burial a boy fell from a house, but is reported to have been preserved from in- jury by the intercession of the departed one, and par- ticipated in the burial services. Such miracles led Paul V to beatify, and Alexander VII to canonize (1668), Villanova. His day was fixed at Sept. 18. Villanova's literary remains consist of sermons and a Commentarij on Canticles (Alcala, 1681 ; Brescin, 1613; Cologne, 1614; Augsburg, 1767, and often). Qiievedo published Villa- nova's Life, and Maitnburg published the work in a French translation (Paris, 1666). See Ada »S'<S., Sep- tember (Antv. 1755), v, 799-892; Herzog, Real-Enc;/- k-liip. s. V. ; Hoefer, A'ouv. Bio<j. Generate, s. v. ; Jame- son, Legends of the Monastic Oi'ders, p. 199 sq. See Vit.i.ENKuvE, Hospital Sisters of.
Villaret, Foulques de, grand -master of the Kuigiits of St. John of Jerusalem and brother of Guil- iaume, soon after his election (lo07) put into effect the designs of his brother at Rhodes. See Hospitallers. In 1309 he resigned his powers and retired to France.
He died Sept. 1, 1327, at the Castle of Leiran, in Lan- giiedoc. See Biographie Universelle, s. v.
Villaret, Gnillaume de, grand -master of the Knights of St. Jolin of Jerusalem, was born of an old family of Provence. He was at first (irior of St. (iilles in Languedoc, and in 1300 succeeded Odo of Pins as grand-master. His plans for the safety of the order devolved, upon his death, in 1307, n|)on his brother Fouhpies (q. v.).
Villaret, Jean Chrysostonie, a French prelate, was born at Rodez, Jan. 27. 1739. He studied at the Seminary of St. Sulpice, and, after teaching there, be- came grand-vicar, canon, and theologian of his native city. Under Necker he entered the civil service. Dur- ing the French Revolution, he lived iirivately in the comttry. In' 1802 he was made bishop of Amiens, but soon after he was transferred to the see of Casal. On the restoration of Piedmont to Sardinia he resigned, and thenceforth lived in retirement. He died at Paris, May 12, 1824. See Biographic Universelle, s. v.
Villars, the name of a French family of Lyons noted for the part which it took in public affairs during the 16th century.